Summary: A newly identified skill, dubbed O is a generalized ability that may help you to succeed at tasks that demand perceptual decisions.
Source: The Conversation
Like snowflakes, no two people are exactly the same. Youre probably used to the idea that people differ substantially in personality and in cognitive abilities skills like problem-solving or remembering information.
In contrast, theresa widely held intuitionthat people vary far less in their ability to recognize, match or categorize objects. Many everyday tasks, hobbies and even critical jobs like interpreting satellite imagery, matching fingerprints or diagnosing medical conditions rely on these perceptual skills.
The common expectation is that smart and motivated people who receive the appropriate training should eventually be able to excel at occupations that require hundreds of perceptual decisions every day.
Wearepsychologists who measure how people compare on challenging perceptual tasks. Our research has found that this intuition that everyone has the same capacity for perceptual skills is not supported by the evidence.
Its not a problem if you choose to spend every weekend bird-watching without ever getting very good at it you may still get some fresh air and have fun. But when perceptual decisions influence safety, health or legal outcomes, theres a case for seeking people who can achieve the best possible performance. Our research suggests some people are just better than others at learning to discriminate things perceptually, whatever the objects may be.
Classic psychological studiesat the turn of the 20th century discovered that performance across a range of cognitive tasks designed to test memory, math and verbal skills is correlated. In real life, this means someone who is great at sudoku is also likely to be good at memorizing their shopping list. This finding led to the modern notion of general intelligence, describing a collection of faculties that together predict a wide range of outcomes, fromincometohealth and longevity.
In a similar way, our studies reveal that those who are thebest at bird recognition may also excel at plane identification, and they may also be the best at learning to spot tumors inchest X-rays. In other research, the same ability predicted better performance inreading musical notationorrecognizing images of prepared food.
Of course, people vary in their experience with birds or medical images. The more familiar you are with them, thebetter you are at recognizing them. Experience and training have an important role in how people make decisions based on visual information. But does everyone start on the same footing when they begin training?
We were interested in whether everyone starts at about the same baseline of perceptual talent. To investigate this question, we measured peoples abilities with artificial objects they had never seen, to prevent any advantage due to different levels of experience.
Inone large study, we assessed 246 people for 13 hours each, testing them on several tasks with six categories of computer-generated artificial objects. We asked people to remember and recognize objects, to match them, or to make judgments about some of their parts.
Our results across tasks like these repeatedly reveal that people vary as much in perceptual abilities as they do in cognitive skills. Usingstatistical methodshistorically applied to intelligence and personality tests, we found that over 89% of the differences between people in their performance with these different tasks and categories could be explained by a general ability. We called this ability o for object recognition and in honor of the g factor, which stands for similar statistical evidence for general intelligence.
Infollow-up studies, weve found that o applies in the same way to artificial and real objects, and that people with high o are better at computing summary statistics for groups of objects (such as estimating the average of several objects) and also better atrecognizing objects by touch. You can compare yourself to others inthis short demo.
Since it is so general, is o just another name for general intelligence? We dont think so.
In one study, we found thatneither IQ nor SAT scores predict recognitionof novel objects.In other work, we found that o was distinct from g, but also from the personality trait of conscientiousness. This means that book smarts may not be enough to excel in domains that rely heavily on perceptual abilities.
We tested this idea by measuring how good people with or without expertise in radiology were at detecting lung nodules in chest X-rays. Those with the highest o were better at this task, even after controlling for intelligence and experience in radiology.
This finding demonstrates the added value of measuring o. Even when medical students are selected to be smart and provided with training, it may not guarantee the highest levels of performance in specializations that rely on perceptual skills.
Many doors open when you demonstrate that youre cognitively talented, which seems only fair. But it is fair only to the extent that general intelligence is the best way or even a sufficient way to predict success in a given domain. Many have raised warnings that intelligence testing can lead to inequities in hiring or career placement tied to race, gender or socioeconomic status.
Over the years, many thinkers have downplayed innate talents to emphasize environmental influences. They argued that success can be shaped through years ofdeliberate practice, programs to change onesattitudes about learning, or evenhours of playing video games.
But the evidence in favor of the influence of innate talents remains strong, and denying them or overpromising on the efficacy of environmental factorsmay sometimes be harmful. People can waste time and resources that could be better invested, and may run the risk of experiencing stigma if their efforts do not succeed because of factors they cannot control.
One answer to this problem is to learn more about talents beyond those related to intelligence and then to make better use of them. Classical notions of intelligence may be just one factor of many that determine overall ability. An increased focus on perceptual abilities, specifically those that are general, could help reduce inequities. For instance, while differences in experience can drivesex differences in the recognition of objects in some familiar categories, weve foundno such differences in the general ability o.
Author: Isabel Gauthier and Jason ChowSource: The ConversationContact: Isabel Gauthier and Jason Chow The ConversationImage: The image is credited to Isabel Gauthier
Continue reading here:
A Skill Called "O": People Vary a Lot in How Well They Recognize, Match or Categorize the Things They See - Neuroscience News
- Cristina Savin and Tim Vogels discuss how AI has shaped their neuroscience research - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- Should I stay (and eat) or should I go? How the brain balances hunger with competing drives - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- How neuroscience comics add KA-POW! to the field: Q&A with Kanaka Rajan - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- Neuroscience research sheds light on how psilocybin alters spatial awareness - PsyPost - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- Newly Discovered Protein Complex Shapes Synapses and Mental Health - Neuroscience News - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- The Neuroscience Behind Immersive Filmmaking - Raindance - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- What are mechanisms? Unpacking the term is key to progress in neuroscience - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- Kentucky neuroscience doctor honored with national distinction - wnky.com - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- Cell X Technologies and Aspen Neuroscience collaborate to address throughput and scalability in manufacturing automation to facilitate iPSC cell... - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- Tracking Daily Habits Lasting Effects on the Brain - Neuroscience News - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- Dak Prescott Was Silent After Hearing It From a Teammate. Its a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence (Backed By Neuroscience) - Inc. - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- Helping Kids Fact-Check in the Age of Misinformation - Neuroscience News - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- Study Links Calorie Restriction to Longevity - Neuroscience News - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- A Princeton Professor Walks into a Neuroscience Meeting -- Many Years Later It Leads to a Nobel Prize in Physics - TAPinto.net - October 13th, 2024 [October 13th, 2024]
- Try these neuroscience-backed tactics to train your brain to make better decisions - Fast Company - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Tips to navigate SfN as a trainee - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Neuroscience Says This 10-Minute Brain Exercise Will Make You Mentally Sharper and Keep You Focused All Day - Inc. - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Successful people do this 1 thing to be 'happier, more productive, less stressed' at work, says CEO and neuroscience researcher - CNBC - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Utilizing the Power of Neuroscience, Isabella Kensington May Have Cracked the Code Between Music and Healing - AOL - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Steve Jobs swore the 10-minute rule made him smarter. Modern neuroscience is discovering he was right - The Star Online - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Steve Jobs Swore the 10-Minute Rule Made Him Smarter. Modern Neuroscience Is Discovering He Was Right - Inc. - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Neural manifolds: Latest buzzword or pathway to understand the brain? - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Neuroscience Says 3 Brainy Habits Will Make You More Efficient, Productive, and Focused - Inc. - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Ethics, AI, and Neuroscience Converge at Mental Health, Brain, and Behavioral Science Research Day - The University of Utah - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- The neuroscience of campus memories - The Stanford Daily - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- How the Brain Enhances Sleep Through Synaptic Strength - Neuroscience News - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Neanderthoids and space brains: Stem cell researcher pushes the boundaries of neuroscience - Medical Xpress - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Nancy Padilla-Coreano - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Utilizing the Power of Neuroscience, Isabella Kensington May Have Cracked the Code Between Music and Healing - Spin - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Genetic Variants Linked to Alzheimers Trigger Inflammation in Females - Neuroscience News - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- New Astrocyte Target for Alzheimers Therapy - Neuroscience News - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- Is an ankle sprain also a brain injury? How neuroscience is helping athletes, astronauts and average Joes - The Conversation Indonesia - October 2nd, 2024 [October 2nd, 2024]
- 5 Brain Strategies to Dramatically Reduce Conflict and Boost Your Leadership, Backed by Neuroscience - Inc. - September 23rd, 2024 [September 23rd, 2024]
- Fascinating neuroscience research reveals a key mechanism underlying human cognition - PsyPost - September 23rd, 2024 [September 23rd, 2024]
- Averaging is a convenient fiction of neuroscience - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - September 23rd, 2024 [September 23rd, 2024]
- Repeat scans reveal brain changes that precede childbirth - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - September 23rd, 2024 [September 23rd, 2024]
- Neuroscience helps explain the teenage brain and mental health - ABC News - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- XX Marks the Spot: Addressing Sex Bias in Neuroscience - The Scientist - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- Neuroscience-based tools for transformative leadership - Fast Company - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- How 100 Years of EEG Have Transformed Neuroscience - Being Patient - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- Reconstructing dopamines link to reward - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- The neuroscience of itch in relation to transdiagnostic psychological approaches - Nature.com - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- A README for open neuroscience - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- Dopamine and the need for alternative theories - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- Kim Stachenfeld on the dance between neuroscience and artificial intelligence - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- Vijay Mohan K. Namboodiri - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- Varied Cognitive Training Boosts Learning and Memory - Neuroscience News - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- Issue | September 2024 | XX Marks the Spot: Addressing Sex Bias in Neuroscience - The Scientist - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- The Transmitter Partners With World Wide Neuro and Brain Inspired, Building on Mission to Inform, Connect Neuroscience Community - StreetInsider.com - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- Gene Therapy Offers Hope for Glaucoma and AMD - Neuroscience News - September 15th, 2024 [September 15th, 2024]
- The Neuroscience of Phantom Sensations: Can We Feel Whats Not Really There? - SciTechDaily - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Tau May Protect Brain Cells from Oxidative Damage - Neuroscience News - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Scientists use fainting to uncover new insights into the neuroscience of consciousness - PsyPost - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Biosensors and being fearless with Lin Tian - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Can Neuroscience Train Your Brain to Be Happier? This Startup Has an App for That - Inc. - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Neuroscience Surprise: Different Types of Love Light Up Different Parts of the Brain - SciTechDaily - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Second paper from lab of Nobel Prize winner to be retracted - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- How cognitive bias affects your draft strategy with neuroscience professor Dr. Renee Miller - Yahoo Sports - August 5th, 2024 [August 5th, 2024]
- This 3-step approach to performance reviews uses neuroscience to make them less awful - Fast Company - August 5th, 2024 [August 5th, 2024]
- Is it time to worry about brain chimeras? - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - August 5th, 2024 [August 5th, 2024]
- Sharing brain images can foster new neuroscience discoveries - American Heart Association - July 26th, 2024 [July 26th, 2024]
- Latest News: Neuroscience Major Applies What Shes Learned in the Classroom and in the Lab - Muhlenberg College - July 26th, 2024 [July 26th, 2024]
- BioIVT to Highlight its Integral Role in Drug and Diagnostic Discovery and Development in addition to Neuroscience Research at Premier Life Science... - July 26th, 2024 [July 26th, 2024]
- Alto Neuroscience Receives Funding Award from Wellcome Trust to Accelerate Development of ALTO-100 in Bipolar Depression Leveraging Precision... - July 26th, 2024 [July 26th, 2024]
- Neuroscience Says 3 Simple Steps Can Turn Disappointment and Stress Into Success and Fulfillment (and Boost Your Emotional Intelligence) - Inc. - July 26th, 2024 [July 26th, 2024]
- Golf: neuroscience reveals the secrets of better putting new study - The Conversation - July 26th, 2024 [July 26th, 2024]
- The Neuroscience Behind Video: Why Video is the Most Effective Marketing Channel - StreamTV Insider - July 26th, 2024 [July 26th, 2024]
- Building an autism research registry: Q&A with Tony Charman - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - July 26th, 2024 [July 26th, 2024]
- Adjusting Proteins Increases Ozempics Effectiveness - Neuroscience News - July 18th, 2024 [July 18th, 2024]
- Low-Calorie Diets Harm Athletes Performance and Health - Neuroscience News - July 18th, 2024 [July 18th, 2024]
- Reflective Thinking Boosts Teen Brain Resilience to Violence - Neuroscience News - July 18th, 2024 [July 18th, 2024]
- Neuroscience Says Olympians Like Simone Biles Use the Autopilot Trick to Achieve Peak Performance. So Can You - Inc. - July 18th, 2024 [July 18th, 2024]
- What well-being is (and isnt), according to neuroscience - Big Think - July 18th, 2024 [July 18th, 2024]
- Brain Areas Take Micro-Naps While the Rest Stays Awake - Neuroscience News - July 18th, 2024 [July 18th, 2024]
- Persistent protein pairing enables memories to last - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - July 18th, 2024 [July 18th, 2024]
- AI Enhances Story Creativity but Risks Reducing Novelty - Neuroscience News - July 18th, 2024 [July 18th, 2024]
- Infection Brain Inflammation Triggers Muscle Weakness - Neuroscience News - July 18th, 2024 [July 18th, 2024]
- Alto Neuroscience, Inc. (NYSE:ANRO) Receives Average Rating of Buy from Analysts - Defense World - July 18th, 2024 [July 18th, 2024]
- 2024 Kavli Prize awarded for research on face-selective brain areas - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - June 18th, 2024 [June 18th, 2024]
- Unlocking Flow: The Neuroscience of Creative Bliss - Neuroscience News - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]